Thanks for the reviews, I ordered a few of these. Another non-fiction graphic book (not a novel) about American immigration that complements these books and which I highly recommend is Bryan Caplan’s Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration which presents the economic and societal benefits of increased immigration.
I’m a huge fan of these kinds of graphics novels myself, Noah. Two additional recommendations: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen.
Persepolis is set in Iran and Austria, but I think the kid-from-the-East-moves-West experience it depicts has a lot of overlap with the books you list. I actually just finished Two Tribes a few nights ago, after seeing it on display at the library. It’s technically a Middle Grade book but I think it could easily be considered YA. The protagonist, a half-Jewish, half-Muscogee girl, isn’t an immigrant, but like the characters in the books you list she is forced to navigate two different worlds that she doesn’t fully feel a part of. Really well done.
People have been writing about the immigrant experience for about as long as the US has existed. I’m a bit tapped out on the whole genre at this point. Americans in general should spend less time reading about themselves and more time reading foreign writers.
I've read a bunch of Vietnamese immigration narratives and I agree I'm pretty tapped out on how repetitive they generally are.
I don't blame the authors, exactly, I understand there is something therapeutic about trying to process a traumatic experience.
But so many of them are awfully repetitive. They came from a rich family but they were children so didn't really realise it and readers won't either unless you know what Vietnam was like in the 1970s and see the subtle signs they drop. They came to America and dad lost his self esteem, mom had to get a job, other kids laughed at how stinky fish sauce is, they stopped answering their parents in Vietnamese, ...
> Stories like this are a reminder that our immigration system is just too restrictive; people like the protagonists of Parachute Kids should have just been allowed to move in
Wrong. It shows birthright citizenship needs to be revoked to stop this nonsense. What open borders BS is this?
I have zero sympathy for Huda's story. You're right - this does confirm Americans' worst fears about Muslim immigration and migrant enclaves like Dearborn. Muslim immigration bans are looking better and better. Mass Muslim immigration is destabilizing Europe. We mustn't let it happen to the US.
I do think there's a case to be made that "Muslims are different". Islam is more than just a religion. It's a global community (the "ummah") with its own laws ("sharia") and a history of imperialist violence/sexual slavery/etc. by its most revered leaders ("caliphate"). Not to mention terrorism, opposition to freedom of speech, antisemitism, and generally high levels of sectarian violence and disorder in that part of the world.
If you're enthusiastic about Islam you should stay in a Muslim country. However I'm open to accepting ex-Muslim immigrants who are escaping persecution. I recommend the /r/exmuslim subreddit to understand what those people go through. Here are a couple of posts which are currently on the frontpage
We should be open to the possibility that part of why the US assimilates immigrants better than Europe is simply because Europe gets more Muslims due to geographic proximity.
There is nothing wrong with asking immigrants to assimilate to core tenets of American culture. If core tenets of American culture don't appeal to you, simply go someplace else. As an American, I wouldn't go to Saudi Arabia and ask women to remove their niqab. It's a good thing for countries to assert their national identity to some degree, so the world stays genuinely pluralistic and people can live in the country that fits best with their preferences and beliefs.
Caramela by Sandra Cisneros is a great text novel about the Mexican American experience Fans of Mexikid will probably enjoy that one too! This is a great underrated genre , thanks Noah!
A whole new world which I did not know existed.... thanks
Second that - yet another corner that isn't well known that has great value
Thanks for the reviews, I ordered a few of these. Another non-fiction graphic book (not a novel) about American immigration that complements these books and which I highly recommend is Bryan Caplan’s Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration which presents the economic and societal benefits of increased immigration.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42867903
I’m a huge fan of these kinds of graphics novels myself, Noah. Two additional recommendations: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen.
Persepolis is set in Iran and Austria, but I think the kid-from-the-East-moves-West experience it depicts has a lot of overlap with the books you list. I actually just finished Two Tribes a few nights ago, after seeing it on display at the library. It’s technically a Middle Grade book but I think it could easily be considered YA. The protagonist, a half-Jewish, half-Muscogee girl, isn’t an immigrant, but like the characters in the books you list she is forced to navigate two different worlds that she doesn’t fully feel a part of. Really well done.
People have been writing about the immigrant experience for about as long as the US has existed. I’m a bit tapped out on the whole genre at this point. Americans in general should spend less time reading about themselves and more time reading foreign writers.
I've read a bunch of Vietnamese immigration narratives and I agree I'm pretty tapped out on how repetitive they generally are.
I don't blame the authors, exactly, I understand there is something therapeutic about trying to process a traumatic experience.
But so many of them are awfully repetitive. They came from a rich family but they were children so didn't really realise it and readers won't either unless you know what Vietnam was like in the 1970s and see the subtle signs they drop. They came to America and dad lost his self esteem, mom had to get a job, other kids laughed at how stinky fish sauce is, they stopped answering their parents in Vietnamese, ...
> Stories like this are a reminder that our immigration system is just too restrictive; people like the protagonists of Parachute Kids should have just been allowed to move in
Wrong. It shows birthright citizenship needs to be revoked to stop this nonsense. What open borders BS is this?
I have zero sympathy for Huda's story. You're right - this does confirm Americans' worst fears about Muslim immigration and migrant enclaves like Dearborn. Muslim immigration bans are looking better and better. Mass Muslim immigration is destabilizing Europe. We mustn't let it happen to the US.
I do think there's a case to be made that "Muslims are different". Islam is more than just a religion. It's a global community (the "ummah") with its own laws ("sharia") and a history of imperialist violence/sexual slavery/etc. by its most revered leaders ("caliphate"). Not to mention terrorism, opposition to freedom of speech, antisemitism, and generally high levels of sectarian violence and disorder in that part of the world.
If you're enthusiastic about Islam you should stay in a Muslim country. However I'm open to accepting ex-Muslim immigrants who are escaping persecution. I recommend the /r/exmuslim subreddit to understand what those people go through. Here are a couple of posts which are currently on the frontpage
https://reddit.com/r/exmuslim/comments/1mj2in5/my_brother_almost_killed_me_for_asking_him_a/
https://reddit.com/r/exmuslim/comments/1mjjba3/in_the_name_of_honor/
American culture is pluralistic, but not so pluralistic that it can cater to literally everyone: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/17/hamtramck-michigan-muslim-council-lgbtq-pride-flags-banned
We should be open to the possibility that part of why the US assimilates immigrants better than Europe is simply because Europe gets more Muslims due to geographic proximity.
There is nothing wrong with asking immigrants to assimilate to core tenets of American culture. If core tenets of American culture don't appeal to you, simply go someplace else. As an American, I wouldn't go to Saudi Arabia and ask women to remove their niqab. It's a good thing for countries to assert their national identity to some degree, so the world stays genuinely pluralistic and people can live in the country that fits best with their preferences and beliefs.
Superman Smashes the Klan, while obviously not a memoir, deserves mention.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_Smashes_the_Klan
Caramela by Sandra Cisneros is a great text novel about the Mexican American experience Fans of Mexikid will probably enjoy that one too! This is a great underrated genre , thanks Noah!